NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERWINNER OF THE 2014 EDGAR AWARD FOR BEST NOVELWINNER OF THE 2014 DILYS AWARDA SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL BEST BOOK OF 2013 “That was it. That was all of it. A grace so ordinary there was no reason at all to remember it. Yet I have never across the forty years since it was spoken forgotten a single word.” New Bremen, Minnesota, 1961. The Twins were playing their debut season, … Minnesota, 1961. The Twins were playing their debut season, ice-cold root beers were selling out at the soda counter of Halderson’s Drugstore, and Hot Stuff comic books were a mainstay on every barbershop magazine rack. It was a time of innocence and hope for a country with a new, young president. But for thirteen-year-old Frank Drum it was a grim summer in which death visited frequently and assumed many forms. Accident. Nature. Suicide. Murder.
Frank begins the season preoccupied with the concerns of any teenage boy, but when tragedy unexpectedly strikes his family–which includes his Methodist minister father; his passionate, artistic mother; Juilliard-bound older sister; and wise-beyond-his-years kid brother–he finds himself thrust into an adult world full of secrets, lies, adultery, and betrayal, suddenly called upon to demonstrate a maturity and gumption beyond his years.
Told from Frank’s perspective forty years after that fateful summer, Ordinary Grace is a brilliantly moving account of a boy standing at the door of his young manhood, trying to understand a world that seems to be falling apart around him. It is an unforgettable novel about discovering the terrible price of wisdom and the enduring grace of God.more
Great read of an American family in the 1960’s in the midwest.
Great coming of age story set in New Bremen, MN. Reminded me of my youth in 1961 and had thoughts of my brother Frank and my younger brother. It’s one summer in Frank’s life but it affects him for the rest of his life.
I was yearning for a break from the many TBR mysteries and crime novels that cover my nightstand, spill over the top of the adjacent tote bag, and cover a good portion of the carpet on the other side.
This is a book I’d been meaning to read for what seems like forever, and it didn’t disappoint. I’m only disappointed in myself for not making it a point to read it sooner.
I was believably transported to 1961, totally immersed in the community life of New Bremen, Minnesota, completely ensconced in the family drama of the Drums and the Brandts, and horrified by the deaths that occurred that summer, as surely as if they had happened in my own hometown.
An unforgettable book
An Ordinary Grace is one of the best books I’ve ever read, and that’s saying a lot as I am an avid reader. William Kent Krueger is one of the finest living authors today. Akin to John Steinbeck, this book tackles much more than the outer, page-turning small town murder story, but the morals and character of middle America in the 1960s. Highly acclaimed when it came out in 2014, it is still a bestseller today– and deserves to be. A classic.
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
WINNER OF THE 2014 EDGAR AWARD FOR BEST NOVEL
WINNER OF THE 2014 DILYS AWARD
A SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL BEST BOOK OF 2013
Ordinary Grace hit the sweet spot of an ABA book with a strong CBA thread of faith. Excellent story about life, death, and grief, set in the summer of 1961 New Bremen, Minnesota.
A good, easy read about a boy coming of age amidst family tragedy and community loss. Set in a time when life was easier (before technology overtook us) and where family, community, and fellowship were paramount.
Two brothers learn how to grow, overcome, and get over in this tale that ambles along at an even keel; not too fast, not too slow. I appreciated the detail with which Mr. Krueger wrote, and felt immersed in each character.
The book, in my opinion, had nothing hard-hitting to teach and no over-the-top message, more of a subtle way of shaping the reader into understanding that life happens and we must learn to be open to giving ordinary grace in the face of unpleasant and unkind acts.
This book took a little while to rope me in. Not sure what it was, perhaps I didn’t warm to the narrator or his everyday life, but that was all forgotten. The coming-of-age story soon grabbed my attention as the mystery unfolded. There’s a thread of religion throughout given that the narrator is a member of the local minister’s family. It’s not preachy, but explores how a tragedy is a test of one’s faith. The two younger siblings, both boys, are realistically portrayed and their reactions to events provide some funny moments. The steadiness of the pastor, his desire to do the right thing, and his fatherly explanations will remind you of Atticus in To Kill A Mockingbird. A great read.
Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger (Author), Rich Orlow (Narrator)
This is a wonderful small town, coming of age/ loss of innocence tale of two brothers-11 and 13– and the summer that forever changed them. Frank and Jacob wrestle with life, death, lifestyles, and prejudices during a summer in their small Minnesota town when five people are killed. It put me in mind of To Kill A Mockingbird. I am still thinking about this book.
A modern classic for our time. Beautiful writing, moving and tragic, but with this sense that no matter what, life goes on. Even after the unimaginable.
“The dead are never far from us. They’re in our hearts and on our minds and in the end all that separates us from them is a single breath, one final puff of air.”
Packed with wisdom for the broken. Get your tissues and curl up with this lovely book!
By the author of THIS TENDER LAND. I loved that book and I loved this one also. I have no idea which I could possibly chose as a favorite.
This is one of those books that takes you away. Takes you to a place that you can’t seem to leave. It’s a hard story. A good story and a very sad story of the summer of 1961 and two young boys as they become men way before their time. A tragic summer. A summer of many deaths. Some by accident, possible suicide and no doubt about it murder. A summer that will stick with you for a while.
I have a couple of favorite quotes from this book. 1: “Heavenly Father, for the blessing of this food and these friend and our families, we thank you. In Jesus’s name amen.” That was it. That was all of it. a grace so ordinary there was no reason at all to remember it. Yet I have never across the forty years since it was spoken forgotten a single word. 2: We turn, three men bound by love, by history, by circumstance, and most certainly by the awful grace of God, and together walk a narrow lane where headstones press close all around, reminding me gently of Warren Redstone’s parting wisdom, which I understand now. The dead are never far from us. They’re in our hearts and on our minds and in the end all that separates us from them is a single breath, one final puff of air.
William Kent Krueger has a way of writing that keeps you captivated. The words roll smoothly off the pages and straight into your heart. You wrap yourself around this story and don’t want to let go. Through all the ups and downs you hold on tight to yourself and hope for the best. It’s told in a way that really truly gives you hope. Makes you believe in things you may never have thought you ever would. He has a talent that is a gift from somewhere. Whether it’s from God or from some other power I don’t know but I do know that I’m very happy that he has it. This book is one that truly made me have some deep thoughts about life. It made me have quite a few weepy moments. Some where I actually had to stop and put it aside for a few minutes because my eyes were so full of tears. My heart broke for the family in this book. For two little boys who had such a tragic summer.
The Drum family, Nathan, Ruth, Ariel, Frank and Jake. Nathan was a minister. His wife, Ruth, daughter, Ariel, were a big part of the choir. Frank and Jake were the boys who grew up during the summer of ’61. This family went through a lot that summer. Their faith is tested in many ways and it’s a wonder they made it at all. Through it all their dad, Nathan, never gave up. He had a faith that was as fierce as any you could ever read about. The way he dealt with things with such calm was intoxicating. His friend, Gus, was a big part of this family also. They were friends from the military and he had his own demons. But with Nathan’s help and his faith they will all survive.
A very touching and beautifully written book with enough sorrow to keep you in tears, yet it’s still one you won’t want to put down. I honestly don’t see how Mr Krueger writes such beautiful stories with such deep sorrow and makes it something that you can’t stop reading. This one has a mystery that you may or may not figure out. I did, but it didn’t take away from the story in any way. This book is one that I have to say read. Read it and enjoy it. Savor it.
This was one that I got for myself a good while back and read just for the pleasure of reading a book. It’s one that you will love, hate, enjoy and shed many tears over. What these two boys go through in the summer of ’61 is something. Frank tells this story in the present as he drifts back to that summer. It will captivate you. It will break your heart. It will even in a couple of places possibly give you a chuckle or two.
5/5 huge stars and the very highest recommendation I can possibly give a book!
Krueger is a new author to me and one who I have become rather enamored with. The narrative has a literary sensibility, but that is not the only thing that drew me in. I read a great deal of fiction, mixing both Christian and general market titles on my TBR list. The new wave in Christian fiction is to write fiction with Christians in it rather than to write Christian fiction (the latter of which have, in the past, became trite morality tales or cliched conversion stories). This is one of the few authors I have encountered who shows Christians, warts and all, as they truly are, not how those who read the sub-genre want them to be. These characters are very flawed and that’s what makes them so appealing. The story also is really well told, with twists that I definitely didn’t see coming.
This is one of my favorite books to recommend to just about anyone–even people who don’t typically read historical fiction. This is one you’ll want to read more than once for the beautiful writing and the insights on God, humans, and the grace we find within families.
This treasure is a nearly pitch-perfect story for readers who want value and authenticity. It’s fulfills its genre as a murder mystery, but the real worth of the story is the quiet moral center of this family. The father is a pastor who responds to the buffeting of family and church crises with steady faith. He has his Lord’s blueprint to live by, and so goes about his duties without drama or volatile emotional swings.
The one slightly off note is the fact that Frank (13) and Jake (10) do sometimes play a bit beyond their years. There’s an occasional “speech” where they deliver rather grownup soliloquys. But the setting in the early 1960s feels authentic, and the drama is a good one.
I zip through a good 25 or so books a year, and this is easily the best one in a good long while.
What a sad but really well written story of a family’s sad life.
Author William Kruger has become one of my go to writers with this wonderful, rhythmic tale of mystery, loss and finding the character within. Set in small town Minnesota in the early 60’s, follows 13 year old Frank Drum as he learns many of life’s cruel lessons. Superbly written (it won an Edgar!) you can hear the 4th of July fire works and smell the scents and secrets of a town that has some things it wants to and needs to hide. A coming of age story that is at once familiar and brand new. Beautifully written.
Not everything is what it seems, even in smalltown Minnesota. Nicely told tale.
This is my second William Kent Krueger book, and it did not disappoint. The poignant story of a young man’s memorable summer in 1961 is heartwarming, nostalgic and atmospheric. Krueger does a wonderful job of building a sense of place and time, along with interesting, relatable characters. Highly recommend.
This is my first time reading Krueger and I really liked this book. The characters were real, the plot twisty, and the ending perfect. I only review books on here that I like—bad reviews do few people any good—and this was one of my favorites so far this year. Just read the first few pages and you’ll be hooked.
I really liked this book
Beautiful messages and the development of the characters was ver good.